The burning questions: Where's the best place to spend Christmas on the beach? Where's hot in February and March when we haven't seen the sun for months? Where are the best winter sun destinations when the British winter has well and truly set in and there's only one thing to do: fly away, somewhere hot and sunny, somewhere with beautiful beaches and smiling people, exotic scents and music in the air.

There are the big hitters, of course: the Maldives, Brazil, the Caribbean, South-East Asia - but when should you go, and what months should you avoid? When is monsoon season in Thailand, for example? Where's hot at Christmas? Where can you find short-haul sun in November? There are a few southern European islands and coastlines that stay warm year-round, making them ideal for winter-sun holidays.

Here are some of our favourite winter-sun destinations, plus a Condé Nast Traveller feature on each to inspire you.

The islands of Thailand are the stuff of castaway fantasies. White sand, rustic-chic beach shacks, a hammock gently swaying between two palm trees as a turquoise sea laps at the shore… There are dozens to choose from, and each offers something quite different, from the super-spas of Koh Samui to barefoot beach-bum in Koh Lipe, while Koh Lanta remains quietly chilled out with lovely places to stay on beaches that stretch for miles. So which is the best Thai island for you?

Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, on the Atlantic Coast, has a magical mix of ancient and buzzy-right-now cultures. Swim in its green ceynotes, discover temples, salute the sun beneath the glitterball gods with fashionistas on the beach in Tulum. Mix it up in colonial Mérida. Go barefoot on Isla Holbox. Stay in a delightful hacienda on the Mayan Riviera.

Over on the less-done Pacific Coast, meanwhile, more adventurous explorers and surfers are carving out a funky beach scene in the one-time sleepy fishing town of Sayulita, on the edge of the rainforest. The best time to do either coast is during Britain's darkest months.

Flight time: 4 hours 30 minutes When to go: March to May; October to November

The eastern Mediterranean Sea around Cyprus may be chilly in winter, but the island gets plenty of sunshine all year, so there's a good chance you'll get T-shirt weather even in the coldest months. From March, the island's flowers start to bloom, and there's barely another visitor in sight. Plus it's only a short hop from the UK. Don't let the island's recent financial problems put you off - it's the economic situation will only mean tourists get an even warmer welcome than usual, but you may want to arrive with your Euros ready!

Flight time: 16.5 hoursBest time to go: Bali is hot year-round. It is rainiest (and thus cheapest) November - April; but even when it rains, it's in short, tropical bursts.

Bali is the heavenly island with earthly pleasures. Back-to-blissed-out spa retreats so fine that Bali has developed a style all of its own: clean and contemporary, dark wood and linen whites. Parties, from flip-flop full-moon raves in hidden-away coves to the cool Potato Head Beach Club and new The Lawn at the boho beach spot that everyone's talking about, Canggu. There's glamping here now, and chic boutiques. There's art in Ubud. There are spas absolutely everywhere. There are beaches, of course. And the pools here are something else: a classy, jungly deep green, shrouded by tropical leafery. Those incredible horizon pools high up overlooking rainforest - that's classic Bali.

Flight time: 13.5 hours from London UK, via Johannesburg, South Africa When to go: April-November

This southern African country has the most astonishing coast - the beaches of Mozambique are out of this world. Great stretches of sand, wild and dune-backed; lapped by the beautiful Indian Ocean where humpback whales breach, where you can swim with manta rays in the Mozambique Channel. In the little islands of Mozambique's Bazaruto Archipelago, a protected marine park towards the south, there are sand-floor bars and simple thatched lodges, and the most sensational sandy islets in bluer-than-blue waters, like wisps of cloud in a summer sky. On the beaches of northern Mozambique you feel as though you're at the end of the world; off this coast are the dreamlike Quirimbas Islands, including heavenly Vamizi.

For those keen to tread where others have not, Mozambique has a certain caché - savvy travellers have been returning, in small numbers, to this coast for the past 20-odd years - and a few new spruced-up hotels are starting to appear - but are keen to keep it all a secret. We say go now, before the secret is out.

There is no bad time to go to the Maldives. There is nothing bad about going to the Maldives at any time ever. They are perfect little islands, whichever you choose - tiny castaway-fantasy sandy islets, mostly with one immaculate resort, with various levels of splendidness. Even people who think they will get bored in the Maldives end up loving the Maldives. They're family-friendly, and for blissed-out beachy nirvana, they're hard to beat. And they're best of all during the British winter, and a quite do-able 10 hours away.

Vietnam may well be one of the most fascinating, beautiful and charming countries you will ever visit. Saigon is wonderful, colonial and quirky; Ho Chi Minh City has one of the world's best food scenes. And the coast of Vietnam - oh, the coast! The beaches are extraordinary. So much untouched beauty. Little islands and dramatic bays to explore by boat. Out-of-this-world beach-chic places to stay, right on the sand. And even though it's easy-going and luxury can be found everywhere, it still feels like a secret, still some sense of discovery about a trip there.

What Mauritius has over its Indian Ocean neighbours, the Seychelles and the Maldives, is its size and natural diversity, and the fact that you can do it independently. Its beaches are still potted tropical paradises, and here you can rent a car and go exploring to find your own deserted cove, drive or hike up into its rainforested hills, take a boat out and go snorkelling or dive in its extraordinary underwater world. It has a bit of a reputation for overly groomed resorts - but it also has some of the finest beach hotels in the world, and you can find little boutique hotels right on the beach, too. Perhaps the best months to go to Mauritius are September, October and November, when it's hot but not too hot (averaging around 25-28ºC in the day, a cooler 17-19ºC at night), and at its driest (the rainy season in Mauritius is from January til April).

Flight time: 1 day. When to go: Year-round (though March is particularly rainy on Tahiti).

In both geography and spirit, just about as far from a drizzly British winter as you can get. French Polynesia is made up of 100-odd little islands in the South Pacific Ocean, the best-known of them Tahiti and Bora Bora. They are out of this world. Castaway fantasy, ringed by reefs; the water unbelievable shades of turquoise blue; the hibiscus flowers Gauguin bright; everything bright and light and hyper-real. Read our feature - or just look at the pictures and dream - on the islands of the South Pacific here

It's summer all the time in the Canaries, where temperatures average in the low-mid 20s all year round. As well as the well-known destinations - Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote (pictured) - there are three smaller islands that are less visited and less spoilt: La Palma, El Hierro and La Gomera. They don't appear on the average British holidaymaker's mental world-map, and make for interesting exploring and winter sunshine.

For year-round sunshine, spotless beaches and impeccable service a short hop away, Dubai is an obvious choice. The Palm, a manmade sweep of beach packed with superb hotels, each with its own immaculate patch of beach, is perfect for family holidays. It's not all glass and shopping malls in Downtown Dubai: the Old Souk is a warren of glittering jewellery and pots, and the peaceful Dubai Creek hints at a time before the seven-star hotels and indoor ski slopes. Two new creative districts (Dubai Design District and Al Quoz) have gained the attention of the international art scene, too. To see the city in its best light, go in November, when it's not too humid and you can happily bronze by the pool all day.

There's a real buzz about Sri Lanka right now, with those in the know making a beeline for coastal spots south of Colombo. Bright-green rice paddies and verdant tea plantations make way for gorgeous, golden beaches to the west of Galle. Surfers prize the hippy-chic hangouts and rolling waves that hit the sandy coves to the east.

If you want to see South-East Asia at its most beguiling, you need to head to Cambodia. Go to watch dawn break over the jungle temples of Angkor (pictured), and for the authentic traditions of its villages and laidback capital, Phnom Penh. But also go for its immaculate beaches.

The mid-Atlantic archipelago of Bermuda, mythical setting for Shakespeare's Tempest, is a land of pink beaches, pink houses and brightly coloured shorts. It is Caribbean in nature, though it's much closer to the UK - so shorter flight times - and has a distinctive character all of its own.

Its pink-sand beaches are lovely, too. Those along the South Shore are the glory of the island. Horseshoe Bay is the best known and most crowded, though Warwick Long Bay, a short way along the coast, is just as alluring. At one end of Horseshoe there is a little patch of sand the size of a playground, cut off from the rest of it by a rocky hillock.

Calm, cool and green: Kerala is not how you imagine India to be. A meandering voyage through the backwaters of this southern state is a wonderful way to see the subcontinent. Old Fort Cochin is bound to delight, and there are some lovely beaches, too.

More than 7,000 islands. Deserted white-sand beaches lined with tilting coconut trees. Protected marine parks with pristine reefs like giant tropical fish bowls. Surf breaks so phenomenal they draw the world's best pros. Low-key but slick hotels and villas. And some of the friendliest people on the planet. This is the glory of the Philippines.

With its cities of pink, blue and gold, its romantic lakeside palaces and desert camps, Rajasthan is India's brightest and most beautiful state. Go there and get carried away, whether you're getting stuck into the hustle-bustle streets of Jaipur, escaping into the desert around Jaisalmer, or floating wistfully across the lake in romantic Udaipur.

'The Golden State' is an appropriate nickname; California is one of the sunniest of US states, with mild winters, little rain and plenty of sunshine, especially in the south. For a classic USA road trip, hire a convertible and hit the Pacific Coast road. State Route 1 runs 550 miles from Leggett all the way down to Malibu. It has famously beautiful views much of the way, and the best section is that from San Francisco through Monterey and San Simeon to San Luis Obispo (where the road drifts inland), although north of San Francisco the route is wilder and less crowded. Aim to drive southwards, to be closer to the sea. The choice of hotels on the Pacific Coast is enough alone to tempt you, ranging from the quaint to the all-out modern, all with stupendous views of the Pacific Ocean.

Flight time: about 10 hoursWhen to go: November to December, and March

Once a hiding place for pirate treasure and prohibition liquor, Harbour Island in the Bahamas is now a colourfully eccentric retreat where every night is a party and every day more vibrant than the last. The sand is pink, the turquoise water is home to green sea turtles and orange starfish, and yellow-throated birds fly about the trees. Days on the beach are long and lazy, and the time of day forgotten.

On Brazil's Atlantic seaboard, far from the tourist trail, Bahia has deserted beaches, rainforests full of wildlife, cocoa farms, a surfers' town and several barefooty resorts that you'll never want to leave. Head to the small town of Itácaré for surfing, sailing, walking and birdwatching; to Trancoso for people-watching and beach-partying.

It may not the obvious choice for a beach holiday, but all the better for it: Senegal, in West Africa, has some beautiful golden sands, fantastic surf, great music and delta wildlife. Go for a holiday of life-changing experiences. Read our full story on Senegal here

Jordan is full of surprises. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, to give it its full name, has wonders both natural and ancient. It's true that much of the country is desert (seemingly endless Wadi Rum has even doubled as the moon in Hollywood movies), but there are also swathes of fertile land, bright and beautifully green. The waters of the Red Sea, off the coast of Aqaba, are bath-warm all year - and colourful, too, home to myriad fish, rays and turtles which make their home on the full-of-life coral reefs - and the best time to go for beach weather is February til May. Meanwhile, winters can be chilly in the north of the country, where snow caps the magnificent treetops of the Ajloun Forest Reserve; and the best months to go to ancient Petra, Amman and the north are March, April, May, September and October.

It might be in another hemisphere, but South Africa is in the same time zone as the UK - which means no jet lag. In Cape Town and beyond there is stunning scenery, breathtaking beaches, as well as world-class wines and fabulous food.

The country's most celebrated stretch of coastline is the glorious Garden Route. However in the other direction, a road trip through the Western Cape makes a rewarding alternative and the weather is particularly good in December and January. The less-explored Overberg Coast has wide beaches, good restaurants and wineries, moody seas at the southernmost tip of Africa, and a sensational coastal reserve (pictured) that even the locals don't know about.

Everyone is seduced by Laos's misty, mystic mountainscapes and its historic city, Luang Prabang. From the moment the country opened its doors to tourism in the 1980s, visitors have talked in reverent tones about the sleepy town far upcountry on the banks of the MekongRiver. It captivates. It weaves a spell. It carries some flavour of Indochina before the modern world got there.

Oman is a less-glitzy, laid-back alternative to Dubai - only the landscape here is more dramatic: wide open spaces punctuated by oases and desert towns; valleys fragrant with rose and sandalwood; hidden coves with golden beaches and brilliant-turquoise water. The capital, Muscat dazzles in the year-round sunshine with its grand mosques and bustling souks. Up in the far north-east, the Musandam Peninsula has some of the best diving in the Middle East (whale shark and turtles are the big draw); the only real place to stay in this hard-to-reach area, Six Senses Zighy Bay is on a golden sweep of sand backed by the impossibly steep Al Hajar Mountains. To feel truly isolated, camp in handmade Bedouin tents among the epic sand dunes of the Wahiba Sands south of Muscat - it's the best way to find authentic Oman. Go now while the country is relatively off-radar compared to its neighbours: there's already a buzz about the recently opened mountaintop Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar, and rumours of a Cheval Blanc opening on the island of Al Sodah in the near future as well as an Aman resort on the south coast.

In Central America, the ancient Mayan cities of Guatemala, hidden deep in rainforests full of colour and exotic noise, make Rome seem as if it was built in a day. From jungle temples to beachfront bars, the delights of this magical country make for an unforgettable journey. Read our full story about Guatemala here

Yes, Hawaii is hot all year round. And yes, it has a lot of swanking five-star resorts that cater to your every whim and could be anywhere in the world. Some people - a lot of people - like those places; and why not? For others, there is everything else Hawaii has to offer. The real Hawaii. The best beaches, the best surf, the best walks through rainforests or up volcanoes. Read our feature by a Hawaii expert for the inside scoop here

Burma, or Myanmar, is an enchanting land of golden pagodas, velvet shoes and lotus flowers. After decades of darkness and fear, the horizon is full of hope as visitors are being encouraged to explore the treasures of this unique Asian country once more. Go now, before it loses its magic. Read our full story on Burma here

The north-west coast of Western Australia is remote, beautiful and largely uninhabited. It has the least-visited of all Australia's coral reefs, Ningaloo Reef, a pristine 260km stretch of coral where thrilling encounters are fairly routine, whether you're diving or snorkelling. Turtles nest from November to March.

Flight time: 5 hours and 15 minutes from LondonWhen to go: October to December

The oases of Western Egypt have always been havens of refuge in a beautiful but unforgiving landscape; and with the advent of small, low-key hotels in the area, designed to respect and reflect the local environment, their capacity to refresh is greater than ever. Head to Siwa Oasis for its ancient temples, salt lake, hot springs, shimmering heat and big, shifting dunes.

Adrift in the Indian Ocean, a thousand miles from the nearest coast of Africa, the Seychelles are the ultimate fantasy-island escape. Its private-island resorts - North Island, Frégate Island, the Six Senses Zil Pasyon- are possibly the most sensational anywhere in the world, a honeymooner's dream (even William and Kate honeymooned at North Island, though the hotel is too discreet to admit it).

Seychelles weather The archipelago has year-round heat and sunshine, as well as its fair share of rain. The wettest months in the Seychelles are November to March, but temperatures never get too oppressively hot (meandering around 24ºC at night and up to 29ºC in the daytime, year round). October is a great month to go for a hit of sunshine, before it gets too rainy, and the air is fresher.